🔗 Share this article England and Wales Placed Together for RWC 2027 Down Under The group draw was conducted by sporting icons including two-time World Cup winner Dan Carter. England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables. This pairing echoes their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's shock early exit. Other Notable Pool Draws The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing victory, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages. Los Teros and Portugal, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D. Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from holders and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans win their assigned pool. Knockout Implications If the groups conclude in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and the Irish all the way to the final. Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland. Tournament Hosts Draw Major Fixture Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A. The Wallabies will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at launch the event. Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. France are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa. Expanded Format for 2027 Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023. The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history. Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round. A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase. Rugby World Cup 2027 Draw Pool A New Zealand Australia Chile Hong Kong Pool B South Africa Italy Georgia Romania Pool C Argentina Fiji Spain Canada Pool D Ireland Scotland Uruguay Portugal Pool E France Japan USA Samoa Pool F England Wales Tonga Zimbabwe